Puerto Rico officials reject request to extend voter registration deadline

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Officials in Puerto Rico rejected a petition to extend a voter registration deadline following an outcry over long lines formed by those seeking to participate in this year’s general election. The Popular Democratic Party and the New Progressive Party voted against the request late Monday as did the alternate president of the elections commission. People have until Sept. 21 to register. The Puerto Rican Independence Party and the Citizen Victory Movement had requested an early October deadline. Hundreds of people have stood in daylong lines to register. The U.S. Caribbean territory’s two main parties face stiff challenges from other parties.